VCU news

By Brian McNeill

Starting in 1976, every U.S. president has designated the month of February as Black History Month, a time to celebrate and reflect on the achievements of black Americans. For several years, Virginia Commonwealth University has organized its own formal Black History Month commemoration.

This year’s lineup of events celebrating arts and literature covers a wide variety of topics, from the representation of black women in film to interracial relationships and the role of African-American Girl Scouts in Virginia’s history.

“Students, faculty and staff can expect to see an array of events and programs both on VCU’s campus and within the Richmond community,” said Faith Wilkerson, interim director of VCU’s Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. “This is a time to reflect and bring awareness to the crucial role African Americans played in history.”

Hill Harper, a best-selling author and award-winning actor best known for his roles in “CSI: NY” and “Covert Affairs,” will contribute to that discussion during his appearance at VCU. Harper, who played the role of Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on “CSI: NY” from 2004 to 2013, also appeared in the films “Beloved,” “Get on the Bus” and “He Got Game.” He will speak from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Commonwealth Ballroom in the University Student Commons at 907 Floyd Ave. The event is reserved for VCU students, faculty and staff.

Harper is also the author of several books, including “Letters to a Young Brother: Manifest Your Destiny,” which won two NAACP awards and was named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association in 2007; the 2009 New York Times best-selling “Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny”; and last year’s “Letters to an Incarcerated Brother: Encouragement, Hope, and Healing for Inmates and Their Loved Ones.”

Harper’s talk is sponsored by the VCU Black Caucus, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, the Student Government Association and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Also as part of VCU’s Black History Month celebration, Viola Baskerville, chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, will give a lecture on how African-American Girl Scouts played an important role in furthering equality in Virginia and throughout the South.

“I hope the lecture conveys the tenacity and the persistence of strong and respected community activists, business leaders and professional women who understood the value of Girl Scouting and recognized immediately how the mission of the movement paralleled the renaissance that was occurring in the black community at the same time,” said Baskerville, a former Richmond councilwoman and vice mayor, former state delegate and former Virginia secretary of administration.

Baskerville's talk, “A Century of Strides: African-American Girl Scouts and the Pursuit of Equality in Virginia,” will be VCU Libraries’ 12th annual Black History Month Lecture and will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts at 922 Park Ave. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.

VCU’s James Branch Cabell Library is home to the archives of the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia and is hosting an exhibit of materials from the collection through May 1.

A Black History Month kick-off event will be held at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, suite 215, in the University Student Commons.

The month’s activities will also include an LGBTQ film discussion series, tours of Maymont and a number of lectures and discussions focused on current issues relevant to Black History Month.

For a full schedule of VCU’s Black History Month events, go to: http://www.omsa.vcu.edu/docs/14bhm.pdf

Image caption: This year's artwork celebrating Black History Month was created by VCU alumnus Stanley Rayfield and pays homage to figures such as Basquiat, Kehinde Wiley, Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, Angela Davis, W.E.B. Du Bois and James Baldwin.

 

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